Topos

Topos is a must-have for successful landscape architects, planners, urban designers and architects all over the world.The monothematic issues provide a global overview of innovative projects, new developments and trends in the profession. Be part of the worldwide community of Topos readers!

THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN

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THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS … REGULATION?

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OXAGON • Oxagon, Neom’s futuristic octagonal city, is set to become Saudi Arabia’s main hub for artificial intelligence and future industry. Combining advanced AI, robotics, and automation, Oxagon will accelerate innovation with a vast net-zero AI campus and aims to host 90,000 residents by 2030, redefining sustainable urban and industrial living.

How AI is urban futures influencing • What if your newest colleague in the planning office doesn’t drink coffee, never sleeps, and processes more data before breakfast than you’ll see in a decade? No, it’s not the intern – it’s Artificial Intelligence (AI). Across global metropolises, AI is no longer a futuristic fantasy but an increasingly present, invisible co-author of the urban landscape. It models climate resilience, reroutes buses in real time, and even suggests what your next building should look like – preferably with optimal sunlight and zero soul.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

THE AI AUGMENTERS • At Foster + Partners, the Applied Research + Development Group has become a core driver of technological exploration within the architectural process. Blending computational design, data science, and interdisciplinary collaboration is shaping how one of the world’s most prominent architecture firms approaches digital tools, sustainability, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

THE NAVIGATOR • Patrik Schumacher, Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), is one of the most visible advocates for integrating artificial intelligence into architectural practice. With a background in philosophy, mathematics, and architecture, he has long championed algorithmic design as a foundation for contemporary spatial production. His recent embrace of generative AI, however, marks a new chapter – less about style and more about workflows, authorship, and the evolving limits of creative agency.

LONDON AI • One of London’s world-famous landmarks, clearly visible on the Thames, is the London Eye. Less visible is the position that the British capital has earned in the AI industry. The British government has set itself the goal of further expanding the UK’s pioneering role and ensuring that the country is at the forefront of the new space race – this time for AI. A look at the AI ecosystem and planning projects in London.

THE STRUCTURISERS • MVRDV NEXT, the innovation unit of Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, operates at the intersection of design and digital experimentation. Rather than positioning itself as a tech lab in the conventional sense, the group explores how data, computational tools, and interactive technologies might reshape the architectural process – from conceptual modelling to stakeholder engagement. While some of its ambitions remain in flux, NEXT is steadily carving out a space for speculative, tool-driven inquiry within commercial practice.

THE CONDUCTOR • At the intersection of design and computation, London-based architect Tim Fu has become one of the most visible voices exploring the potential of artificial intelligence in architecture. With a background in parametric design and a growing global platform, Fu advocates for a future in which AI augments – rather than replaces – the creative instincts of designers. Yet behind the spectacle of generative imagery lies a more cautious narrative: one that tests the limits of current technologies, public perception, and what it...